There is a continuing need in the field of cooking and food warming fuel containers and burners to provide products which will produce an effective temperature level for an extended period of time. Further, these cooking fuel containers and burners should utilize a fuel that is classified as non-flammable. Non-flammable fuels are desirable since this type of fuel provides for a greater level of safety during usage and transportation. It is preferred that the cooking fuel container and burner produce a temperature in an oven, chafing dish or buffet server of at least about 160.degree. F., and preferably at least about 180.degree. C., throughout the majority of its full burn time. The burn time for a cooking fuel container and burner should be at least about three hours, and preferably at least about four hours. A cooking fuel container and burner which will produce a cooking temperature of at least about 180.degree. F. or greater and have a burn time of at least four hours will provide sufficient heat to chafing dishes and buffet servers for a sufficient period of time so that the cooking fuel containers do not have to be changed during a serving session. This is important since the cooking fuel containers when the fuel supply is just depleted are still fairly hot. They must be handled carefully. If the same cooking fuel container and burner can be used throughout an event, the need to change the cooking fuel containers is negated with the problem of having to handle a hot cooking fuel container obviated. A container of this type is more highly useful to the restauranteur.
The present cooking fuel container and burner is of a simplified design, yet produces a cooking temperature in a chafing dish or buffet server of greater than 180.degree. F. with a total burn time of at least about four hours. This cooking fuel container and burner is very efficient in the burning of the container fuel. Further, the cooking fuel container and burner can be shipped and stored without the wick becoming so saturated with the fuel that the container and burner is difficult to ignite. The present wick is unique in that besides providing for the effective delivery of the cooking fuel to the burning surface it also provides an easily lighted burning surface. In addition to overcoming the problems of providing a sufficiently high burn temperature for a sufficiently long period of time, this cooking fuel container and burner also overcomes the problem of the ignition of the essentially flat wick surface. This easy ignition is accomplished without the use of any ignitor materials or ignition pads. The net result is a cooking fuel container and burner which is simple in design, easy to construct, quick and easy to ignite and one which has a sufficiently long burn time and burn temperature to effectively cook and/or heat foods during a normal serving session.
Various cooking fuel containers and burners have been disclosed in the prior art. One such cooking fuel container and burner is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,604,053. This food warming cartridge, as it is designated, consists of a cylindrical container with a top cover seamed onto the container and closing the top opening of the container. In a central portion of this container and top cover there is a square or rectangular region to expose a flat wick, the two ends of which extend downward into the fuel which is contained in the food warming cartridge. The mode of operation of this food warming cartridge is that the fuel is fed up to the burning surface where it is burned to provide the desired heat. One problem with this design is that it does not provide for insulating the fuel containing region of the cartridge from the heat that is produced from the burning of the fuel. In this cartridge, some of the heat from the burning fuel will be transmitted to the cover with the heat in turn transmitted to the region that contains the fuel. The result is a heating of this region of the cartridge with a pressure produced within the fuel containing region which causes a pumping of the fuel up the wick which results in an uneven burn temperature and an inconsistent burn time from cartridge to cartridge.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,611,986 discloses a disposable liquid fuel burner. This liquid fuel burner is illustrative of a typical center wick burner. In this design, a wick extends downwardly through the top cover of a cylindrical fuel container. This wick extends upwardly through the top cover to a distance above the top cover. In this type of a liquid fuel burner, the burn surface is elevated a distance above the top cover above the burner. This results in less heat being transferred from the wick to the top of the container and thus into the region of the container which contains the liquid fuel. Pumping of the fuel up the wick is thus not a problem. This is an effective burner for liquid fuels, however, since it is comprised of a single central wick, it tends to produce a small diameter flame and thus a localized heating. It is preferred that the fuel burn surface be of as large an area as possible in order to provide for a more even heating of buffet trays and chafing dishes. Also, typically fuel burners of this type do not have a substantially constant burn temperature throughout the full burn time.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,858 discloses a liquid fuel burner which does provide for an enlarged burn surface area. However, this liquid fuel burner is quite complex in its structure. This liquid fuel burner consists of a cylindrical container which has a top closure. Within this top closure is an opening to provide for an enlarged burning surface. Within the container portion there is a wick which passes upwardly from the fuel region up into a wick region. This wick is of a single strand which passes upwardly through the center of a wick supporting table and overlays this wick supporting table. Overlaying this wick is a non-combustible fiber bat. Overlaying this non-combustible fiber bat is a bat of plastic foam. This bat of plastic foam serves as an ignitor for the fiber bat. In operation, the wick conveys the liquid fuel up to the fiber bat. The fiber bat becomes saturated with the liquid fuel as does the polymeric foam bat that overlays the fiber bat. In usage, the plastic foam bat is ignited. This plastic foam bat burns away and in most instances will effectively light the fiber bat. The fiber bat then provides the burning surface for the liquid fuel. This is a fairly complex structure for a liquid fuel burner.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,653 discloses a further type of a cooking fuel can and burner. This is of a center wick structure and is directed to the usefulness of a central recessed area and the use of peripheral air vents. A drawback of this type of a cooking fuel product is the lack of a constant heat profile from just after ignition until just before the depletion of the fuel. This type of cooking fuel container will produce a lower heat level upon ignition followed by an increasing level of heat production during the burning of the fuel and tapering to a lower burn temperature at the end of the burning period. In addition, this type of a center wick structure does not provide for the advantages of a burn surface which has an enlarged burn surface region.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,139 discloses a liquid fuel container which has a wick which extends upwardly upon the removal of a lid. This structure provides for an easier igniting of the wick and will result in less heat transfer to the cooking fuel container. However, this liquid fuel container suffers from the same problems as other center wick burners. That is, it provides for a localized heating of the buffet server or chafing dish. Further, this type of a cooking fuel containers does not provide for the essentially constant flame temperature throughout the burning of the contained fuel.
The present cooking fuel container and burner overcomes the various problems and deficiencies of the prior art devices. It is less complicated in design and structure. It provides a wick surface that is easily ignited. There is also provided a temperature in a chafing dish or buffet server of about 180.degree. F. The burn time will be a period of time of greater than about three hours, and preferably greater than about four hours. These are all significant and important advantages.